Robyn Webb, Environmental Strategies Team at the City of Edmonton

Summary

Edmonton City Hall is the home to the mayor and city council and also a
number of City staff. The building is not only used for council
meetings, it is also a public gathering place in Edmonton. City Hall
holds the downtown farmer’s market in the winter time and many
gatherings and celebrations that take place in the sunny atrium of the
building.

CERTIFICATION

The building was built in 1992 before programs like LEED were in
existence and before the City of Edmonton had a sustainable building
policy. However, it has another environmental certification through
the BOMA BEST program. It’s a certification system for energy and
environmental performance in buildings. In this particular building
that meant conversions to low energy use lighting, replacing the old
carpet with more environmentally friendly carpet, and using green
products in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The custodial
staff in the building also use green cleaning products. Where a green
building rating system like LEED is mostly intended for new
construction, BOMA is oriented around the sustainable operations and
everyday activities of the building.

Outside of BOMA BEST, a number of sustainable practices were taken at
the time of construction. The main floor in the atrium of the building
has beige stone stripes on the floor; those are old travertine from
the former city hall that sat on the current location.

The burgundy pillars outside are constructed from reclaimed granite
from the old city hall, as is the green marble on the top floor of the
councilor’s wing. These are some of the same practices that would
receive credits from a program like LEED, where you get points for
reusing materials and recycling material in construction. The building
was also designed to maximize natural light. The two glass pyramids
flood the building with light during the day, and it minimizes a need
to have electrical lighting in parts of the building.

POLICY

Recently, in the spring of 2017, the City of Edmonton passed a new
Sustainable Building Policy which commits to using BOMA BEST in
all of the City’s facilities. The City has committed to green
construction projects through LEED for a number of years now but this
represents a big change as not only are new buildings going to be
constructed to green standards, but they will also be operated in an
environmentally sustainable way.

In Edmonton commercial buildings account for about 23% of the overall
emissions in the city, so the City of Edmonton decided to show
leadership in reducing emissions in its own municipal buildings in
order to get the private sector on board. Other community actors are
also excited about doing the same.

WATER USE

All of the bathrooms in city hall have been installed with low flow
toilets and faucets to minimize water use.

GATHERING PLACE

Having the farmer’s market in the building is also symbolic of the
City’s support for food and agriculture in general. While City Hall
gives local vendors access to the public, the market acts to enliven
city hall as a venue as well. City Hall is also home to a social
enterprise called the Hallway Cafe. The restaurant serves as a
training program for at risk youth. Run by local non-profit E4C, the
restaurant shows the City’s strong commitment to community economic
development and poverty reduction, and contributes to the social
sustainability of the building.

LOCATION/TRANSPORTATION

City Hall is well situated for citizens to access through various
modes of sustainable transportation. Underneath the building is the
Churchill LRT station. There are also many bus routes that pass by the
building. The new downtown bike grid flanks the side of the building,
and there are good pedestrian facilities around the building as well.
The building is ideally situated for people to reach sustainably,
which makes it a great place for large gatherings and festivals.